Which games does Head of Xbox Phil Spencer play for fun?

They make the games we love, but what do they play for fun? We ask developers to pick six from Xbox history, and this time it's the turn of Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox.

Years of watching Phil Spencer unveil games at E3 and Gamescom has created a Pavlovian response – we see him, and start composing news headlines in our heads. Here he looks to the past instead...

Crimson Skies is a game from the original Xbox I think had a unique storytelling style, kind of alternate future, that I miss. I miss Jordan Weisman’s ability to tell a story in that kind of space.

To pick another Jordan game, I would say Mech Assault. It was nice in terms of modes and customisation, and multiplayer is rich and that’s something we can really learn from.

I will take Gears of War 1, because when I saw Gears in HD for the first time, it really struck me that we were really moving the console generation from standard def to high def, and I remember my jaw hitting the floor when I saw that game.

I’ll pick Phantom Dust, because I think the mechanic around Phantom Dust was ahead of its time. We’ve obviously announced we’d like to do something with Phantom Dust, but there was definitely something special with that...

I’m going to take Ori and the Blind Forest from this generation, because I think Ori does a very nice job with bringing gameplay from old, but from an audio, visual and framerate standpoint, feeling like it’s a perfect current generation game.

And Steel Battalion, because it was $200 to buy the whole thing – that was one of those wacky times. I don’t think it was the greatest game, but I remember the first time I saw it I thought it was remarkable for how over-the-top it was.

This article originally appeared in Xbox: The Official Magazine. For more great Xbox coverage, you can subscribe here.

Sam Loveridge is the Brand Director and former Global Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar. She joined the team in August 2017. Sam came to GamesRadar after working at TrustedReviews, Digital Spy, and Fandom, following the completion of an MA in Journalism. In her time, she's also had appearances on The Guardian, BBC, and more. Her experience has seen her cover console and PC games, along with gaming hardware, for a decade, and for GamesRadar, she's in charge of the site's overall direction, managing the team, and making sure it's the best it can be. Her gaming passions lie with weird simulation games, big open-world RPGs, and beautifully crafted indies. She plays across all platforms, and specializes in titles like Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, The Sims, and more. Basically, she loves all games that aren't sports or fighting titles! In her spare time, Sam likes to live like Stardew Valley by cooking and baking, growing vegetables, and enjoying life in the countryside.

With contributions from

OXM Staff